Rickles, who actually served in the Navy during World War II, was already well known for his indiscriminate
insult comedy which he used in his stand-up routines and in guest appearances on other TV shows and specials; C.P.O. Sharkey was the third TV series that provided him with a regular vehicle for his coarse humor. (Two previous series in which he starred, both eponymously titled The Don Rickles Show—one a 1968 variety show, the other a 1972 sitcom; each aired for one season.) Coincidentally, Rickles portrayed a different C.P.O. in the 1961 episode "Professional Sailor" of the CBS military sitcom/drama, Hennesey, starring Jackie Cooper.

Lieutenant Whipple (Jonathan Daly), Sharkey's immediate superior whose complacency and buck teeth were fodder for Sharkey, though for reasons obvious he never insulted him to his face.

Captain Quinlan (Elizabeth Allen), the newly appointed female base commander during season 1, which Sharkey had a hard time accepting at first.

Captain Buckner (Richard X. Slattery), who replaced Quinlan in season 2. A former submarine captain and hard-nosed career man, Buckner usually got right in Sharkey's face and barked orders in a rapid-fire manner, rendering Sharkey unable to respond except in civil answer.

In the earliest episodes of the series, Sharkey would often end conversations with each of his recruits by giving them the evil eye and saying "I'm gonna keep an ey-y-y-e on you".

Pruitt, who stood 6' 7", would invariably hunch forward overlooking the 5' 6" Sharkey when addressing him face-to-face; Sharkey found it uncomfortable to speak to Pruitt this way and would make snide remarks about Pruitt's height or a mistake he made. (The July 9–16, 1977 cover of TV Guide showed Rickles and Isacksen in character, with Sharkey standing on a foot locker so he could physically be eye-to-eye with a surprised Pruitt). Some of Sharkey's insults toward Pruitt included:

CPO Sharkey is peripherally remembered for an incident that occurred during a guest appearance by Rickles on The Tonight Show on December 13, 1976, in which he inadvertently broke Johnny Carson's wooden cigarette box, an heirloom that Carson had kept on his desk since 1967. During his appearance, Rickles pretended to be an immigration agent while joking with guest host Bob Newhart, using the cigarette box as a passport stamp, slamming it down on the desk several times accidentally breaking the lid off its hinge; upon seeing what he had done, Rickles went into mock panic.

Carson returned to the show the following night and promptly discovered the broken box still sitting on his desk while conversing with bandleader Doc Severinsen (who was sitting in for Ed McMahon). After Severinsen informed Carson that the broken box was Rickles' doing, Carson took a camera crew and walked across the hallway to the adjacent studio where C.P.O. Sharkey was being recorded. He interrupted the taping in order to tease Rickles, pretending to be angry, all to the delight of the studio audiences of both shows. Carson mocked Rickles' comedic style calling him a "big dummy", and also teased actor Harrison Page speaking to him in an exaggerated jive accent. As Carson prepared to exit, Rickles announced Carson to his own audience; Carson then mockingly glared at Rickles, shouted: "They know who I am!", and playfully slapped his face before leaving.

Nearly two years later Rickles, this time guest hosting The Tonight Show himself while talking with guest Carroll O'Connor, inattentively started slamming Carson's new cigarette box on the desk, but immediately stopped when he realized what he was doing; this time the box remained intact. This happened November 13, 1978, nearly seven months after C.P.O. Sharkey had been cancelled.

The incident was often replayed in Tonight Show retrospectives and was considered a major highlight of the 1970s era of the show. The incident was also featured in Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Rickles said that the incident was a genuine accident, but he and Carson played up the drama. "Knowing Johnny, he milked it a little bit. And I added to it." He also said he had no idea that Carson would barge in on his set that day. "I was really taken. In those days, those were bigger cameras than they are today. To schlep all that stuff into the other studio was quite an event."[2]

The new captain proposes to shape up "the chief with the biggest beer belly," a pretty fair description of the outraged Sharkey.

17

2

"Operation Frisco"

TBA

TBA

November 4, 1977 (1977-11-04)

Being assigned to submarine duty interferes with Sharkey's plans to have fun in San Francisco.

18

3

"Sharkey Flies over the Cuckoo's Nest"

TBA

TBA

November 11, 1977 (1977-11-11)

A case of mistaken identity ensues when Sharkey reports to the base hospital for his routine physical and is mistaken for a mental patient.

19

4

"Don't Make Waves"

TBA

TBA

November 18, 1977 (1977-11-18)

Comical chaos ensues as Sharkey's barracks is chosen for an experiment in coed Navy living.

20

5

"Natalie's Ultimatum"

TBA

TBA

December 2, 1977 (1977-12-02)

Sharkey' long time girlfriend, Natalie, tires of waiting and gives him an ultimatum about marriage in their relationship.

21

6

"Sharkey the Actor"

TBA

TBA

December 9, 1977 (1977-12-09)

Sharkey lands the lead in a Navy training film.

22

7

"Barracks Baby"

TBA

TBA

December 30, 1977 (1977-12-30)

Sharkey must hide a pregnant Mexican woman from INS officials in this Christmas themed episode.

23

8

"Seven-Eleven Sharkey"

TBA

TBA

January 6, 1978 (1978-01-06)

Sharkey turns to the dice to help recruit Kowalski win back the money for his Mother's trip to Poland that the young man had lost in a craps game.

24

9

"Forget Pearl Harbor"

TBA

TBA

January 13, 1978 (1978-01-13)

The behavior of a visiting CPO from the Japanese Navy causes Sharkey to think that he may be a spy.

25

10

"Close Encounters of the Worst Kind"

TBA

TBA

January 27, 1978 (1978-01-27)

Sharkey's girlfriend, Natalie, accuses him of being insensitive.

26

11

"Pruitt's Paradise"

TBA

TBA

February 3, 1978 (1978-02-03)

Pruitt has been showing signs of lethargy and Sharkey suspects it is due to a wild night life.

27

12

"Sharkey Meets Pruitt's Sister"

TBA

TBA

February 17, 1978 (1978-02-17)

Sharkey and the men try to scrounge up a woman to represent their barracks in the Navy's Miss Topside beauty contest.

28

13

"Sharkey's Back Problem"

TBA

TBA

February 17, 1978 (1978-02-17)

Sudden back pains lead Sharkey to worry that he will be ineligible for the "CPO of the Year" competition.

29

14

"It Happened One Night"

TBA

TBA

March 3, 1978 (1978-03-03)

A bomb scare in the female recruits barracks forces them to be housed in Sharkey's building.

30

15

"Tell It to the Marines"

TBA

TBA

March 10, 1978 (1978-03-10)

Visiting Marines cause havoc at the training base as their behavior tests the patience of Sharkey and the other sailors.

31

16

"Sharkey and the South American Way"

TBA

TBA

March 17, 1978 (1978-03-17)

Sharkey must instruct a visiting South American sailor in the ways of the United States Navy.

32

17

"Punk Rock Sharkey"

TBA

TBA

March 24, 1978 (1978-03-24)

Sharkey ventures into a punk-rock night spot to stop a fight, and comes out with a loose filling and the affections of a teen-age runaway.

33

18

"Pruitt, the Russian Flu-Carrier"

TBA

TBA

March 31, 1978 (1978-03-31)

Pruitt infects Sharkey and most of the recruit company with Russian flu and Sharkey is overwhelmed by home-spun remedies.

34

19

"Captain's Right Hand Man"

TBA

TBA

April 7, 1978 (1978-04-07)

Much to both of their chagrins, Captain Buckner is forced to make Sharkey his personal aide.

35

20

"Fear of Flying"

TBA

TBA

April 14, 1978 (1978-04-14)

Sharkey reveals that he has a fear of flying and is terrifed at an upcoming flight he is required to take because of Navy business.

36

21

"The Even Couple"

TBA

TBA

April 21, 1978 (1978-04-21)

Sharkey moves off-base into an apartment in order to spice up his social life. His plan backfires when the recruits all show up just before a "last chance" date with Natalie yelling loud enough about problems that Sharkey gets tossed by his landlord.

37

22

"The Used-Car Caper"

TBA

TBA

April 28, 1978 (1978-04-28)

Sharkey must come to the rescue when his recruits are swindled by a sleazy car salesman into buying a lemon.